What can I do?

Sometimes tackling large projects and larger bureaucracies can seem overwhelming. What can I do? And will anything I do make a difference? The answers are, yes, there’s a lot you can do, and yes, you can make a difference.

Meetings start at 4:00 p.m. and are held in the King Street Meeting Room, County Administration Building, 100 North King Street.

To the FBRMPO meetings to see what is planned regionally. The 2018 schedule is:

January 25

February 22

March 22

May 24

June 28

August 23

September 27

October 25

November 15

Meetings start at 1:00 p.m. and are held at Land of Sky Regional Council, 339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140, Asheville.

Write

Elected officials can only go by the information they have, so make sure they have the information you think is important. Write a letter or send an email. That way you can make sure they have all of the facts you think they should know, and you can make sure they know how you feel on any particular issue.

If you are writing a group, like the village council, write or email each individual member. Don’t rely on one letter to get to all group members.

What to do now:Write or email the Flat Rock village mayor and council members and the French Broad River MPO chair (Bill Lapsley, one of our Henderson County commissioners) about your concerns on the N. Highland Lake Road project (contact info here). Don’t worry if you’ve already written—write again.

Speak up

To local officials—most public meetings have a time for public comments but that time can vary with each group, so check ahead. Or meet with your elected officials one on one to discuss your concerns.

To your neighbors–together we can work to make sure our community’s voice is heard.

What to do now:Talk to your neighbors and let them know the long-term impact of currently scheduled NCDOT projects in the village—a loss of our rural character and the possibility of future construction on our scenic roads with little say-so from village residents.

Go public

Let your concerns be known by the larger community. In addition to talking to friends and neighbors, write a letter to the editor or put up a yard sign.

What to do now:Contact us for a yard sign (if you’re in an HOA, check their rules first) and/or a car window sticker. Sign our petition,and keep involved.